1951-02-10 — Page 12

12

MR. CHANDLER

shakes his

his fist

at the old ladies...

THE SIMPLE ART OF MURDER. By Raymond

BOOKS

Chandler, Hamish Hamil- by .... GEORGE

ton. 10s. 6d. 333 pages.

HANDLER is

wave.

one of

MALCOLM THOMSON

to have (1) came

CHANDLERU

her account.

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY IV, 1931.

POPULAR

MUSIC

Bing Crosby has put eight: new Jimmy Vin Huesen-Johnny Burke conno from hip Para- mount picture "Mr Musle" In an album for Decca. Der Bingle is assisted by the glamorous Lar, Dorothy Metropolitan Opera star, Kirsten, on the philosophical novelty "Accidents Will Happen" and "Milady," while the Andrews Sisters help him in the ballads

alp The ttish On

List" and parishioner, has "High

Which let

C those writers who can distance from reality in the The gil, a poor, Non- "Life 18 So Pecular. It all not put pen to paper with opposite direction as Peter conformist not that it is any adds up to one of the best

п crime Pan. out unleashing

It would be a help to quicker excuse. The Canon anda her a Hollywood musical albums Is he not, in fact, understanding of the Chandler home and lies to the police on come along. the wee-cat bit improvident sagas with the Illegalities? Could quaintance with the geography not the same effect of reck of Los Angeles; (2) a dialect

defining dictionary less pace be imparted with a grifter, gold-brick, creep joint, slightly lower incidence of walk-up house, stake-out," olc. I took Latin at school instead. felony?

CHANDLER,

• RAYMOND Noon "Pick-up Take

one of Street"

seven born in Chicago, eduented ai shortish stories in the present Dulwich College, and in France allotment It is just 40 pages and Germany, has been teacher, action Оретв at poet, soldier, student, pilot, ac Long. precisely one minute past seven countent, oil executive, on a crisp September evening in Los Angeles and finishes be- fern dawn next morning.

Into these few crowded:

Its

on the

hours

are

to

Sammy Kaye, who only re admit, is unusually rash belta-cently, switched to Columbla album in what le promised to be vlour in one who, at that very Records, has turned out the first an annual series with the title moment, is well in the running "cheap

for ecclesiastical promotion

of his popular radio programme Tho set "Sunday Serenade. Includes eight of the all-time favourites of the "Swing And band; "Music, Maestro, "Blue Pre- "Hong You've tude," "Just Time Goes By," "No Greater Got Me Crying Again," "As have pressed the Love," and "You Ought to Be on Canon Welcome's mitre of Rexborough (a new in Pictures"

That the Canon suffer agonies, of fear rather than conscience. That the is natural enough. police are to say the least more surprising. Had they made easy-going about the murder is Or two simple routine inquiries the Prime Minister would

diocèse)

not

But by that time (page 341) Raymond in tiring of his theme. He has never quite made up his mind whether to poke fun at the Canon or like him. And no doubt he concludes with acid Dr Bettersby, that "Our brother lias little real scholarship and only the most rudimentary sanctity; to a disciplined mind his sermons are, God forgive me, as garbage before the wind; but he has something which may be called

THE FLOATING DUTCH.

MAN. By Nicolas Bentley, brow. Michael Joseph. 98. 6d. 254 pages. Four homicides, one attempt-

DENTLEY'S variation on the ai ditto, one unlawful wound- ing, three brutal assaults, four gently nefarious theme of threats backed by display of one firearms, one kidnapping,

of police car, one bogus theft

real ditio, one blackmail, one altempt to "frame" an innocent man for murder.

These 10 crimes are shown against a background of seedy dia- negro apartment houses, reputable night clubs, ele, and are passed on to the customers. with Chandler's superb fluir for dialogue and clenched-teeth quick-shutter description.

jewel robbers, dope fiends, night clubs with neon signs, and so forth, in parsimonious in Bun- and makes do with no more play,

Also the than three corpses. amorous life of the population, by Los Angeles standards, verges

on the inhibited.

Chandler might scoff at such gentility. But he would concede Benticy's knack for the politely sinister twist of phrase and award him a diploma for com- mand of the native tongue of

trafickers

While it lasts, it is all poign- druk might, however, rebuke a

antly plausible. But how close does it come to reality?

is relevant

question The because Chandler, in a pange essay rounding off this present volume sets up as the champion of the realistic school of crime- writers, the pioneers who, as he puts it, "gave murder back to the kind of

of people who commit it for reasons, not just to pro-

a corpse.** vide

In this righteous cause, be makes hearty slaughter among "the flustered okt Indies of

ning

(1)

craftsman ori his story with a corpse In the Thames-old play; and (2), introducing a young woman who Endures the nameless horrors of the night club where she is hostess only so as to watch over her brother, guitarist and hophead (drug-addict to you) even older play.

THE WITNESS OF CANON By Ernest WELCOME. Raymond. Cassell. 12s. 6d.

346 pages.

both sexes and almost all ages DON'T think that

Canon

who like

murders their scented with magnolia blog

soms

But a cold assessment of the statistics of "Pick-up on Noon Street," disclosed above, suggests that the story is steep ed in fantasy about as deep as it could be. If you doubt me, ask the Los Angeles homicide squad

Magnolia "Pick-up

stands

at

I grudge his Welcome bishoprie. I only say that he has been lucky. So far,

He decent sort of man, with or without a mitre. If ho has an eye to the main chance, ho la penitentially aware of it, which is more than can be said for all of us. If his behaviour to Amy, his wife (now she has lost her looks) is less than kind, magnolla, the Canon makes up for it by Noor Street" his really quixotic conduct over on

about the same Phil Janey

по or

a heart

He has also a neat log for a gaiter.

All the same, if I were the new Bishop of Rexborough, I should not be too sure that the police have dropped the case.

-(London Express Service)

Now Singlos

Dinah Shore, singing with Henri Rene's Orchestra, has re- corded another of the good tunes, from Cole Porter's new musical, "Out Of This World." The tune, Nobody's Chasing Mr," should have plenty of customers (RCA Victor)...Jo Stafford has a fine "If You've Got the novelty in Money, I've Got the Time," (Columbia)...

Dave Lander, the

cowboy

the

singer with the versatile voice,

a good many of better - known Westerh-style imitates

Д clever number, stars in "Ev'rything That's "Good" (M-G-M)

. Guy Mitchell's rousing singing of "The Roving Kind" already is heading the re- cord up the list of hits (Colum- bia)...

-David C. Whitney.

HAVE YOU EVER DREAMED THAT-

YOU WERE SHUT IN A CAGE

WITH A VAST

LION

-THIS

A British Crossword Puzzle Che SNAPSHOT GUILD

1 Brookt.

5 Meaning. B Inlet.

ACROSS

Richly ornamental. 11 Separate

Humble.

12

14 Caution.

10 Ingenuous. 18. Overtrained. 10 Flock. 20 Exit

25 Street.

24 Rule.

26 Strong wind.

27 Mournful refrain,

28 Fabulous creature,

3

DOWN

1 Effeminate.

2 Space

3 Tart.

4 Up-to-date.

5 Fore-ordain.

6 Yold,

7

Prospers

10

Regal

13 Aimed high.

14 Veteran soldier

15 Retallation.

17 Got up.

10 Forerunner,

21 Always,

22 Casy.

23 Cleric.

YESTERDAY'S CROSSWORD. — Across: 1 Caress, 4 Slave,

7 Unveil, 8 Bairn, 10 Told, 12 Samples, 15 Veram, 18 List. 17 31 Deem, 23 Frail, 24 Decade, 25 Seer, 19 Besot, 20 Scribes, Hewed, 28 Groyne, Down: 1Countess, 2 Revolver, 3 Skip, 5 Trampled, Varies, 9 Tames, 11 Derisive, 12 Sober, 13 Literary, 14 Stampede, 18 Ecarte, 22 Bear,

AND THAT YOU WERE PURSUED BY AN ANGRY BULL OVER AN ENDLESS

PLAIN?

DREAM MEANS:

You are afraid of the intensity of your own dovires. The lion and the bull represent the un- bridled force of primitivo passion and desire. The cago bars compel you to face the facts of your

VIGNETTES OF LIFE

FOR GOFISAKES, WHY DONT YOB

TELL HER

WE'RE EATING P*

WELL

ER

FR

own amotions. You can't run away from tham any more than you can run away from the bull.

This dream suggests that you must learn to understand and come to terms with your physical nature before you can got on with the other Im- portant things in life.

Dinner's Ready!

'JEST STOPPED IN FOR A MOMENT... HAVE TO RUN RIGHT ALONG, CANT STAY, JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU...........”

AID ON AND ON

ANDON.

This little miss is nicely In foots. And the background

left out of focus since it la outelde the depth of field. Probing the Depths Of Fiold

NE of the phrase definitions this camera when it is focused mentioned here before was at 10 feet and an aperture of

"depth of field" or "range of f/11 is used. sharpness" as it's also called. As we explained then, depth of Bleid refers to the distance-in

If, on the other hand, we

use an aperture of 1/3.5 and the focus again on

an object only

a picture scene-from nearest point in sharp focus to

the farthest

focus.

point in tharp 10 feet away, our depth of field We added that the is only 9 to 11 dect. This illus- our first rule: With a smaller the lens aperture is the trates greater is the depth of field.

given lens, depth of field de- creases as the size of the aper- ture inercases.

.

Actually depth of field is de. pendent both upon the aperture

Now suppose we try our (/11 used and the focal length of

This time, let's aperture again. the lens. Lenses of short focal focus on an object 15 feet away lengths, for example, such as instead of 10. Our range of those used on most miniature sharpness here. Instead of being cameras, offer greater depth of from 7 to 15 feet, is from And from this field than a lens of longer focal 10 to 30 feet. length at the same aperture. We get our second rule: The But this is of more concern to greater the distance between the camera and the object the expert, who may use focused upon, the greater the

several different cameras, than depth of field.

to the average snapshot maker who has a single camera.

camera

certain

All three of these examples point to the third general rule- about depth of field.. When we However, there are

focused on 10 feet at /11 our general cules which the owner range was from 7% to 15 feet. of any

other than a When we focused on 15 Zeet at "fixed focus" type will do well f/11 our range was from 10 to to remember, Theso can be 30 feet. Hence we can say that the depth of field is greater be- the simply, using

yond the object focused upon which apply with a

than in the direction of the of mine. The

camera. figures may not apply for your

Illustrated

figures

camera

won't.

same

camera-cliances are that they

These three basic rules, then, But the principles will. provide all the knowledge you noed concerning depth of Geld

Lenses

ses when you property of

tdo

for

Suppose, for example, we enough knowledge to use this plek a lens aperture of 1/11 and wish to include background, d focus on an object 10

te them, eliminate feet talls

example. the ob-

But

remember, these, away. Not only will

rules. The depth which we've focused are general ject on

of field at a given distance and appear sharp and clear in our

aperture with your personal negative, but so will any other camera is something you must object approximately 7% feet check on, preferably in your to 15 foot from this camera lens. This distance--7 to 15 feet-is our "depth at field" for

By

camera manual.

KEMP STARRETT

JOAN? JUNIOR!

I'VE CALLED YOU NINE TIMES. IDINNERS ON."

--John tha· Guiller

DO THEY PHONE AFTER DINNER? NOT IN OIR. EXPERIENCE: IT'S JUST WHEN YOURE STARTING OR JUST VIEN YOU'VE POURED THE COFFEE.

I'LL BE RIGH' 'OWN!*

7

GRANDPA ALWAYS GOES UP-STAIRS TO

GLUE IN HIS CHINA CLIPPERS... AND OF COURSE HE WAITS UNTIL THE DINHERTON THE TABLE.

COPR,1951 BY GENERAL FEATURES CORP, TM-WORLD RIGHTS RESERVED,

THEN THERE ARE THE ONES VIO JUST DROP IN FOR A MOMENT. THEY WONT JOIN YOU, THEY'VE DINED - AND THEY WONT GO,

EITHER.

FOR HEAVENS SAKE? THATU

KLEP!

DINNER'S

GETTING COLD!"

.FUNNY HOW MANY ABSORBING ITEMS ARE FOUND IN THE PAPERL JUST AT DWHER TIME.

IF SIET GOING.

TO SINGE A FINGER IT'LL BE JUST WIEN DINNER'S BEING SERVED... BY THE TIME YOU'VE GOT IT BANDAGED THE MEAL'S AS COLD AS A PENGUIN'S

TOES.

JUST WHEN LEAPALONG LONERGAN

IS GETTING SET TO SHOOT IT OUT

WITH THEM THAR CATTLE RUSTLERS...

"TREK.

#LOOK

AT YOUR

HANDS!

THEY'RE CLEAN ENOUGH!

THEY NEVER SEEM TO GET

THEM WASHED BEFORE DINNER.

·ONLY DURING.

IT'S ALWAYS DINNER TIME! WHEN YOU'RE INVOLVED WITA COME PET JOB:

"ALL

RIGHT!

ALL RIGHT

BE RIGHT

UP/"

INDIR